The first x-rays of the mysterious supernova

Scientists were able to capture the first X-rays from a type Ia supernova living inside the ESO 336-G009 galaxy

Exploding stars help us to explore the universe. But we still face a huge amount of questions. So scientists for the first time managed to track X-rays of a supernova Ia-type.

Researchers love this variety. Formed when a white dwarf explodes. This process allows us to determine the distance of the object from us, and thus expand the spatial map. But a couple of years ago, scientists began to stumble upon supernovae of this type with a strange optical signature, as if a cloak of circumstellar material was around them.

Usually this feature is found in type II, which is created when mass stars lose mass. Discarded material accumulates around the object and spreads with a shock wave during a stellar explosion. The unusual 2012ca supernova found showed x-ray photons. Never before have such objects been found in an X-ray review.

X-rays found in supernova 2012ca (inside the circle)

The researchers counted 33 photons in the first observation at the explosion and 10 after 200 days. It is surprising that the density of the material is a million times greater than usual for Ia-type.

It is commonly believed that white dwarfs do not lose mass before the explosion. Therefore, the material must come from a nearby star and a large one. But even very massive objects do not have such serious losses. Therefore, the study of this unusual star continues. Perhaps we will learn a lot about supernovae and the process of their death.